Method of and machine for binding cables



March 7, 1933. A. R. CURTIS METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR BINDING CABLES Filed March 11, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet l glwuml ot WA flaw;

A. R. CURTIS METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR BINDING CABLES March 7, 1933.

Filed March 11, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 II IIII'II gwve/ntoc March 7,' 1933. A. R. CURTIS 1,900,695

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR BINDING CABLES Filed March 11, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 March 7, 1933. A. R. CURII'IS 1,900,695

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR BINDING CABLES Filed March 11, 1930 4 Sheets-Sht 4 r, W I

gvllllllllu kYm q I/ I 62 /3 /6/ Y Ma [45 gwoanlo'o Patented Mar. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR R. CURTIS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO SUPERIOR CARBON PRODUCTS, INCORPORATED, F CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK MEIHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR BINDING CABLES Application filed March 11, 1930. Serial No. 434,996.

This invention relates to binding machines, and more particularly to methods of and automatic machines forbinding theinsulation covering of electric cables or con- I ductors firmly to the cable or conductor.

Ordinarily, electric cables and conductors are insulated by a covering of fabric or rubber or both. The insulation must be removedfor a short distance adjacent the ends of the conductor to permit attachment of the ends to other conductor elements and when this is done, the insulationis likely to become loose and fray and creep along the conductor, thus exposing more of the conductor than what is desired. A single turn of wire firmly wrapped around the insulation and cable, near the. ends of the insulation is highly effective in preventing the insulation from fraying and creeping along the conductor.

Accordingly, a general object of my invention is the provision of a method of and a machine for binding insulation on electric conductors. Another object is the provision of a machine for effectively fixing a binder medium around the insulation of an electric conduct-or. A further object of my invention is the provision of an automatic machine for binding insulation ina ra id and eflicient manner. A still further 0 ject is the provision of a binding machine which may be adapted to a variety of uses.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred form thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings. The essential characteristics are summarized in the claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is'a front elevation of a machine made according to a preferred form of my invention; Fig.2 is an end view of the machine; Fig. 3 is a top plan View; Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are cross-sectional details taken along the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a crosssection taken alongthe line 77 on Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a verticai cross-section taken along the line 88 on Fig. 2; Fig. 9 is a cross-section of the shearing block; Figs. 10 to 13 inclusive are plan views showing the successive opera- .on a treadle to actuate the machine, whereupon a single rotation of the operating mechanism will bind the insulation and eject the bound cable from the machine. My in vention also contemplates a machine which may be adapted to various conditions and uses, which is simple and compact, and which may be mounted on any ordinary bench or table.

A machine made in accordance with my invention comprises briefly, a frame, means mounted on the frame for clamping the cable or conductor, and for binding a loop of wire around the conductor, means for forming a loop of binding material around a conductor, and means for disposing a length of binding material over the clamping means. Means are also provided for cutting off the binding material to the proper length, and for forcing the conductor and the binding material into the clamping means in such a manner that the conductor and the clamping means co-operate to bend the binding material around the conductor. Means are further provided to eject the conductor from the clamping means after it has been bound and to drive all of the above means in proper timed relation so that the operation of the machine is entirely automatic.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings, a machine made according to a preferred form of my invention includes a frame having a flat base portion 20, which may be provided with holes through which bolts 21 may pass to secure the machine to a bench or table. A vertical web portion 22 may extend upwardly from the base, and surmounting the vertical web a horizontal housing 23 may be provided. 7

The entire machine is driven by a shaft 2% (see Fig. 8) which may be supported within the housing by bushings 25 and 26, and which may be driven by a pulley 27 mounted atone end of the shaft and a belt 28. The hub of the pulley may be provided with a bushing 29 whereby it may revolve freely on the shaft except when drivingly connected thereto by the single rotation clutch, indicated generally at 30, and which will be fully described below. The pulley may be retained on the shaft by a cap 31. Each of the various mechanisms which comprise the machine may be actuated by cams 35 and 36, the cam 38 being formed as an integral part of the cam 35, which may be secured to the shaft by a bolt 37 and washer 38.

In the present instance, I have illustrated a machine adapted to bind a cable by a loop of wire, although obviously any other suitable binder medium such as metal strips, clips, etc, may be employed. Accordingly, I have illustrated the supply of binding material as comprising a reel 39 of wire 40 for binding the insulation, which may be supported on a bracket ll secured to a forward-- 1y extending portion 42 of the frame by screws 43. From the reel, the wire may be led over a tension spring at in between feeding rolls 45 and 46 and thence to the clamping mechanism.

In order to supply a definite length of wire or other binding material to the clamping mechanism, I may provide a feeding device comprising feed rolls a5 and 4&6, which may be provided with grooves 47 in order to guide the wire more accurately, and which may be secured to shafts l8 and f9 respectively by nuts 50 and 51 and washers 52 and Gears 55 and 56 may be keyed to shafts 48 and f9 respectively. The gears may be intermittently rotated by a ratchet device, comprising a crank arm 57 which may be mounted on the shaft d9 between the gear 56 and the block 58. At the outer end of the arm, a pawl 59 may be pivoted as at 60 and may be normally urged toward the gear by a spring 65. The arm may be oscillated by means of a rod 66 which extends upwardly and may be pivoted to one arm 67 of a bell crank lever which may be mounted on a stud 68 extending horizontally from the frame portion 42. The other arm 69 of the lever carries a roller 70 which is adapted to engage the peripheral surface of the cam 35. It will be seen that each revolution of the shaft 24: will cause a reciprocation of the rod 66, which will oscillate the arm 57, rotate the shafts 48 and 4 9 and the associated feed rolls, and thus feed a predetermined length of wire to the clamping mechanism.

To mainta a the proper pressure on the wire between the feed rolls so that the grip of the rol s on the wire will be suliicient to hold the wire in place against the attracting action of the spring 4 1, the shaft 49 is mounted in a usual type of bushing in the block 58, and the shaft 48 is mounted in an eccentric flanged bushing 76 having a laterally extending arm 77. The passage of the wire between the rolls will act to force them apart and thus rotate the bushing 76. To counteract this spreading action and to maintain substantially constant pressure on the wire a spring plate 78 may be provided which may be adjusted and held in engagement with the arm by the knurled nut 79 which is threaded into the block 58.

From the rolls, the wire is directed to the clamping mechanism by a guide 80 having an aperture 81. A shearing block 82 which is adapted to co-operate with the clamping mechanism to cut off the wire, and having an aperture 83 in registration with the aperture of the guide may be disposed in a recess in the guide as shown in Fig. 9. The shearing block may be threaded to a pin 84 which is pivoted in the block 58, (see Fig. 7) thus securely holding the shear and the guide together. The guide may be a substantially L shaped member having an upwardly extending leg 85 terminating in a cam surface 86. I prefer to direct the binding material to the clamping mechanism obliquely and at such an angle that the ends of the wire will not interfere with each other when they are bent around the cable being bound and so that when the loop is completed both ends will be in engagement with the cable. In order to accomplish this result, the block 58 which supports the feeding mechanism and the guide may be secured to the base 20 by bolts 87 at a suitable angle.

To hold the cable and the binding material during the binding operation and to co-operate with the other elements of the machine in the formation of the binding loop, I may provide a clamping mechanism which may comprise clamping fingers 90 and 91 which may be pivotally mounted on pins 92 secured to a forwardly extending portion 93 of the frame. Recessed jaws 9i and 95, having wire receiving grooves 96 and 97 (see Fig. 11), which are adapted to clamp the conductor and bend the wire around it, may be formed on the upper portions of the fingers 90 and 91 respectively. The jaws may normally be held apart by the action of a spring 100 which may enga 'e grooves 101 and 102 in the downwardly extending legs of the clamping fingers.

In order to close the aws, a wedgeshaped cam 103, which is adapted to engage the oblique surface 10 i and 105 of the fingers, may be provided. The cam may be formed on the end of one arm of a bell crank lever 110, which may be pivotally mounted on the frame by a pin 111. The other arm of the lever may be provided with a curved portion 112, which is adapted to be engaged by the cam 36, thus causing the lever 110 to be swung about its pivot, raising the cam 103 and closing the jaws 94 and 95. To return the cam to retracted position, a flat spring 113, which is adapted to engage the under side of the forwardly extending portion 114 of the frame, may be secured to the lever. A set screw 123, adapted to engage the lever and prevent it from overthrowing may be mounted on flange 124 formed on the frame.

In operation, the wire 40 is first fed across the jaws of clamping fingers, and then the operator places a conductor in position over the jaws and the wire. As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, the wire is cut to proper length and the conductor forced'into the jaws by a plunger 115, which has a reciprocatory movement and which may be guided within a hollow boss 116 formed in the frame. A cam 117, secured to one side of the plunger by screws 118, may reciprocate in the slot 119 in the wall of the hollow boss. As the plunger is moved downwardly, the end surface 120 of the cam will engage the surface 86 of the guide 80, thus pivoting the guide about the pin 84, moving the shearing block downwardly and shearin the wire against the outer surface of the nger 95. Theshear and guide may be returned to the initial position by a flat spring 121 which may be secured to the block 58 by a screw 122.

To engage the cable and force it into the clamping mechanism, a downwardly extending rod 125 may be mounted in a recess in the plunger 115 and its end 126 may be curved to conform to the cable. When the plunger is depressed, the end of the rod will engage the cable which will in turn engage the wire and force both the cable and the wire into the jaws 94 and 95. Thus, the jaws and the cable will cooperate to bend the wire into a loop extending part way around the cable, the jaws acting as a die. The loop is then completed by the clamping action of the jaws described above. The spacing between the end of the rod and the cam surface 119 is such that as the plunger is depressed, the cam first operates to actuate the shearing block, and

thereafter the rod forces the conductor into the jaws.

The plunger 115 may be reciprocated by means of a lever 121b,'(see Figs. 2 and 3), pivoted on a pin 121a which may be secured to the frame by means of a nut 127 and washer 128, and which may be lubricated by an oil cup 129. One end of the lever may terminate in a ball 130 which may be engaged by a slot 131.in the plunger, and the other end may be bifurcated, as at 132 and may support a pin 133 having a roller 134 mounted thereon. The roller is adapted to engage the cam 35, and the shape of this cam is such that the plunger is first moved downwardly to force the conductor into the jaws, then released slightly during the clamping movement of the jaws, then moved downwardly again to bend the ends of the wire down into contact with the cable. The roller is kept in contact with the surface of the cam and the plunger moved upwardly by means of a spring 135, which may be secured to an ear 136 of the lever and to a rod 137 which may be mount ed in the frame.

To release the conductor from the clamping jaws a flat metal arm 140, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, having an L shaped portion 141 extending below the end of the conductor and adjacent the clamping jaws, may be provided. The arm may be adjustably secured to the lever 142 as at 143, and the arm and the lever may be pivoted on a pin 144, which may be threaded into a boss 145 formed on the frame.

In order to actuate the ejector, the end of the lever 142 remote from the pin may have formed thereon a curved surface 150 (see Fig. 2), which lies in the path of the cam 36. Thus, each revolution of the main shaft will cause the cam 36 to contact with the lever, swinging it about the pivot pin 144 and thereby raising the arm 141 and ejecting the conductor from the clamping jaws. To return the arm and the lever to initial position a spring 151 may be secured to the arm and to a pin 152 mounted on the frame.

The machine is controlled through a single rotation clutch of the usual type, illustrated in Figs. 2 and 8, which may be actuated by a trea-dle 155 connected by a chain 156 to a lever 157 which may be pivot- Y ally mounted as at 158 on a bracket 159 secured to the frame by bolts 160. V The lever 157 normally prevents a key 161, which is held in place adjacent the shaft 24 by a sleeve 162, from engaging openings 163 inthe hub of the pulley 27. lVhcn the treadle is depressed, the lever is removed from the slot 164 in the key and the spring 165 may then move the key into engagement with the pulley hub, thus connecting the pulley and the main shaft. \Vhen thetreadle is released, a spring 166 supported by an angle 167 mounted on the bracket 159, may lift the lever into the slot, the wedge-shaped end 168 of the lever being adapted to cam the key out of engagement with the pulley. In

order to prevent continued rotation of the shaft after the pulley has been disengaged, a brake may be provided comprising a T- shaped shoe 169 provided with brake lining 170 adapted to bear against the sleeve 171. The pressure of the brake may be regulated and adjusted by the screw 172 which sup ports the brake shoe and may be threaded into the main housing 23.

The successive steps in the operation of the machine are clearly illustrated in Figs. 10 to 17 inclusive. At the beginning of each complete cycle of operation, the wire on other suit-able binding medium has been fed across the jaws of the clamping fingers. The operator then places a conductor or cable C over the jaws and the wire, and starts the machine by stepping on the treadle, thus engaging the clutch and causing the main sha 2i and the cams 35 and 36 to rotate.

The cam 35 rocks the lever 1211), which in turn moves the plunger downwardly. The downward movement of the plunger first causes the cam 117 to engage the upper surface of the guide 80, thus partially rotating the guide about its pivot and moving the shearing block downwardly to cut off the wire, as shown in Figs. 10 and 1%. Continued downward movement of the plunger causes the rod 125 to engage the cable and force it into the clamping jaws, thus bending the wire part way around it, as illustrated in. Figs. 11 and 15. At this point, the plunger and rod are raised slightly by the action of the spring 135, and thereafter the cam 85 actuates the lever 110, raising the wedge shaped cam 103 and clamping the aws, thus completing a loop of wire around the conductor, as shown in Figs. 12 and 16. The plunger is then moved downwardly, as indicated in Figs. 13 and 17, thus forcing the cues of the wire down around the conductor and clinching the binding loop.

The plunger next moves upwardly to its initial position, the cam 36 actuates the lever 142 and the ejector 1&0 to remove the cable from the jaws, and upward movement of the rod 66 caused by the bell crank lever 69 and the cam 35 operates the feeding rolls and 46 to position a new length of wire over the clamping jaws. At this point, the single rotation clutch is disengaged, the rotation of the shaft is stopped by the brake and the machine is ready to bind another cable. The parts not positively driven are returned to the initial position by various springs and proper tension in the wire is maintained by the spring A form of conductor on which my insulation binding machine is particularly adapted to operate is indicated in Fig. 18 and comprises a copper block 175 to wl ich insulated cables C are secured. The ends of the cables remote from the blocl: are bound together as at 177, the insulation at this point and at the ends of the cables adjacent the block being secured by means of wire loops 17 8 formed on my machine.

From the foregoing description of a preferred form of my invention, it will be seen that I have provided a machine for binding the insulation of electrical conductors or cables and similar objects by wrapping a loop of wire, metal strip or other binding medium thereon, which is sturdy and compact, which may be easily and economically constructed and operated, and which may be conveniently adapted to a variety of uses. It will also be seen that l have provided an effective and rapid method of binding cables, conductors and other like objects.

lVhile I have described the machine as being adapted to bind a single cable, it is obvious that it may be adapted to bind a plurality of cables together as shown by merely making minor changes in the shape of the clamping jaws, the amount of wire fed, etc. It is also obvious that my machine may be adapted to bind other substantially cylindrical objects, such as rubber hose connections, etc. Further, it must be understood that while I have described a machine particularly adapted to bind the object with a wire, any other suitable binding medium may be employed such as flat metallic strips, clips, etc.

I claim:

.1. A method of binding the insulation of electric conductors which includes the steps of directing a length of binding wire to a position adjacent a conductor and obliquely to the axis thereof, initially forming a loop of wire around the conductor by forcing the conductor and the wire into a pair of clamping jaws, completing the loop by clamping the jaws together, and clinching the loop by forcing the ends of the wire into engagement with the conductor.

2. In a cable binding machine, the com bination of a frame, a shaft mounted on the frame, a driving pulley associated with the shaft, a single rotation clutch adapted to drivingly connect said pulley and shaft, a pair of fingers pivotally mounted on said frame, said fingers having jaws adapted to clamp a cable therein, means for feeding wire over said jaws obliquely to the axis of a cable positioned over said jaws, means for cutting off a length of tne wire, means for forcing the cable and said length of wire into said jaws, thereby partially forming a loop of wire around the cable, means for actuating said jaws to clamp the cable, thereby completing the loop, means for bending the ends of the wire into engagement with the cable, means for ejecting the cable from the jaws, and cams mounted on said shaft and adapted to actuate each of the above named means in proper timed relation.

3. In a cable binding machine the combination of a frame, a shaft mounted on the frame, means for driving said shaft, a pair of fingers pivotally mounted on said frame, said fingers having jaws adapted to clamp a cable therein, means for feeding wire over said jaws diagonally to the axis of a cable positioned over said jaws, means for cutting off a length of the wire, means for forcing the cable and said length of wire into said jaws, means for actuating said jaws to clamp the cable therein, means for bending the ends of the wire into engagement with the cable, means for ejecting the cable from the jaws and means for operating each of the above named means in proper timed relation.

4. In a machine of the class described, the

for actuating said rod to first force the cable and the binding medium into said jaws and thereafter to force the ends of the binding medium down into intimate engagement with the cable, and means for operating said clamping jaws.

10. In combination, a pair of clamping jaws, means for positioning a binding medium above said jaws, a rod adapted to encombination of a frame, a shaft mounted gage a cable disposed above said jaws,

on the frame, means for driving said shaft, a pair of fingers pivotally mounted on said frame, said fingers having jaws adapted to clamp a cable therein, means for feeding binding material over said jaws, means for cutting off a length of the binding material, means for forcing a cable and said length of binding material into said jaws, means for actuating said jaws to clamp the cable and binding material therein, and means for ejecting the cable from the jaws.

5. In a binding machine, the combination of a frame, a drive shaft mounted 1n the frame, clamping means, means for feeding binding material to said clamping means, a plunger for forcing a cable into said clamplng means, means for ejecting the cable from said clamping means, a cam mounted on said shaft for operating said clamping means and said ejecting means, and another cam mounted on said shaft for operating said feeding means and said plunger.

6. In a machine of the type described, the combination of a pair of clamping jaws, means for supplying a metallic binding medium to said clamping jaws, means comeans for actuating said rod to first force the cable and binding medium into said jaws, and thereafter to force the ends of the'binding medium down into intimate engagement with the cable, and means for ejecting the bound cable from the clamping aws.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

ARTHUR R. CURTIS.

operating with one of said jaws for cutting 1 the binding medium, means for forcing a cable and the binding medium into said clamping jaws, means for operating said jaws to bend the binding medium around the cable, and means for ejecting the cable from said jaws.

7. In a cable binding machine, the combination of a pair of clamping jaws, means for feeding a metallic binding medium to said clampingjaws, means for forcing a cable into said clamping jaws, means for operating said jaws to bend the binding medium around the cable, and means for ejecting the cable from said jaws.

8. In combination, a pair of clamping jaws, means for positioning a binding medium above said jaws, a rod adapted to en'- gage a cable disposed above said jaws, and means for actuating said rod to first force the cable and the binding medium into said jaws, and thereafter to force the ends of the binding medium down into intimate engagement with the cable.

'9. In combination, a pair of clamping jaws, means for positioning a binding medium above said jaws, a rod adapted to engage a cable disposed above said jaws, means 

